In some nations with the strongest tradition of education and science, the “Humanities” have come under siege because of a current emphasis on efficiency and measurability. This analytical piece was motivated by a letter sent in the summer of 2015 by Japan’s Education Minister to all national universities, urging them to abolish their faculties of philosophy, sociology, linguistics and so on. To provide an international comparison of how dire the prospects are, I looked at the development in Germany, the US, UK and Japan.

In some nations with the strongest tradition of education and science, the “Humanities” have come under siege because of a current emphasis on efficiency and measurability. This analytical piece was motivated by a letter sent in the summer of 2015 by Japan’s Education Minister to all national universities, urging them to abolish their faculties of philosophy, sociology, linguistics and so on. To provide an international comparison of how dire the prospects are, I looked at the development in Germany, the US, UK and Japan.